Tour Dates:
Saturday, October 7, 2023
2:00pm - 3:30pm
With a focus on art, nature, and the urban landscape, this tour will take Doors Open Pittsburgh visitors to key riverfront parks and projects along the Allegheny River in and around downtown Pittsburgh. Riverlife staff will guide attendees along and over the river and discuss art-filled sites, including one of the first major projects by famed landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh in collaboration with artist Ann Hamilton, the nation’s first riverfront sculpture park, the Andy Warhol bridge (and its sister bridges), new art installations celebrating local nature and Black Pittsburghers, and the iconic Point State Park.
Along the walk, Riverlife will share historic information about the riverfronts and their transformations and outline future projects poised to reshape the Allegheny River for the new millennium, infusing it with restored natural habitats, new places for gathering, and enthralling art for all. The tour takes its name from a new Riverlife initiative, in partnership with Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the Allegheny County Regional Asset District, called ArtWalk on the Allegheny.
TOUR HOST BIO:
Riverlife creates, activates, and celebrates Pittsburgh’s riverfronts, connecting people through exceptional places and experiences. Since 1999, Riverlife has led a $132 million investment that has transformed decaying and abandoned spaces along Pittsburgh riverfronts into 15 miles and 1,055 acres of award-winning, nationally recognized parks, trails, and green space. Through hundreds of public meetings and feedback from thousands of residents and visitors, Riverlife introduced the Completing the Loop plan for a community-driven and transformative vision that centered on a continuous riverfront park system.
Over the years, plans and projects have invited people to the rivers, honoring the varied range of hopes, expectations, and uses in the original vision. Today, the riverfronts are much closer to achieving the original vision of a network of parks and open spaces, but much work remains to fill gaps in the system and ensure their benefits are enjoyed by everyone.
TOUR STARTS/ENDS: 39 Isabella Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Meet in the upper plaza of Allegheny Landing, on Isabella Street, between Federal Street and Sandusky Street (the Andy Warhol and Roberto Clemente Bridges)
This is a walking tour: up to 1.5 miles of walking.
Photography is allowed.
A restroom is available.
Guided Walking Tour